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Patriot Perspective: Jumpstart that resolution

It's winter in Minnesota. People say there are no guarantees in life, but I can prove those people wrong. I guarantee some folks in Minnesota are tired of winter. I can guarantee many folks are daydreaming about the lapping of the water on the shores of their favorite lake, and I can also guarantee for some of you, your New Year's resolution is already off the tracks.

We all know the common ones of losing weight, eating healthier, striving to spend more time enjoying life, not just running the race of it, etc. Many of us have tried them and more often than not we have failed in achieving what we've set out to accomplish.

Sure, your resolution might be off the tracks right now, but that doesn't mean it has to stay there. According to Forbes, just 8 percent of people actually achieve their resolution goals. Well, 8 percent isn't a lot, but it is better than 7!

As you ponder where you are with your resolution or possibly getting on board with trying a new one, don't forget to look for opportunities right in front of you. If you want to get healthier via diet or exercise, make it as simple or as easy as possible. The beauty of where we live is we aren't far away from simple.

When temps allow, go for a walk. It isn't hard to get away from all the bustle of today's world in our neck of the woods. We are surrounded by all kinds of nature's beauty that cannot only help us exercise but recharge the soul. If you stop for coffee in the morning, skip the doughnut. If you head out for lunch, consider a salad.

Too often we see the challenge of changes to our lifestyle as insurmountable because we have to see immediate progress. We think we have to starve ourselves so we can lose 10 pounds in a week or think we need to spend an hour on the treadmill every day. Those are hard changes to accomplish.

Keep it simple and find your path to success. It doesn't have to move mountains. Nobody else even has to notice, although it is really nice when they do! Find simple adjustments you can make in your lifestyle to aid in changing what you want to change.

If you just skipped the doughnut every morning with coffee, that's improving right? If you parked as far away from the store and walked in, that would help, right? Are you trying to spend more time with family? Put the phones and devices down after dinner a couple nights a week.

You don't need to throw your entire life routine away just to improve an area or two. Remember those tracks we talked about earlier that you might have fallen off? How about being your own "Little Engine that Could" and hopping right back on those tracks and telling yourself, "I think I can, I think I can ..."